Nearly two-thirds (60%) of meeting suppliers around the world expect the number of events and meetings planned to increase next year, according to the American Express Meetings & Events “2012 Meetings Forecast.”
The survey of corporate meeting planners, buyers and hotel suppliers based around the world also finds that companies are continuing to support meetings and are projected to increase overall meeting budgets, while the spending
for individual meetings are expected to decrease or stay flat compared to 2011. Study highlights include:
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Shorter and Smaller: The number of attendees per meeting will likely decrease as will the number of days, according to hotel suppliers.
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Closer to Home: Suppliers indicated planners want meetings closer to their businesses, with 53% of their clients requesting more local meetings. This is also likely tied to the effort to keep individual meeting costs down.
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More Green: Hotel suppliers noted 47% of meeting clients have green request/ requirements for their events. Meeting planners corroborated this trend, with 73% indicating clients are showing increasing interest in reporting green measures. PRN
Source: American Express